TACOMA, WA - Today the Pierce County Prosecutor charged Nicholas David Biancalana, 29, with rape of a child in the third degree. Investigators believe Biancalana was one of at least two men who had sex with Lily Christopherson, 15, who went missing last month and was found alive and well last weekend in Puyallup.
William Kent Pittman, 34, was charged earlier this week with rape of a child in the third degree, for allegedly having sex with Lily.
“We promised to hold accountable everyone involved in the exploitation of Lily,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “We’ve done that in this case, but we continue to vigorously prosecute sex trafficking in Pierce County.”
On May 9, 2018, police officers began searching for Lily after her mother reported her missing. Officers identified two persons of interest, later identified as Christopher Fitzpatrick, 39, and Maria Counts, 29. They were arrested and charged in late May with rape, kidnapping, and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
On May 26, officers visited co-defendant Pittman’s home and learned that Biancalana and Pittman had talked in front of people about having sex with Lily. That same day police found Biancalana at Pittman’s home hiding in a bathroom shower. Biancalana described meeting Lily and said he thought she looked 18 years old, but didn’t ask her age. Biancalana said he and Pittman got high on heroin and both had sex with Lily.
Bail is set at $500,000.00.
Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
For more information, please contact James Lynch at (253) 798-6265, [email protected].